TMNT: Black Lotus Plant
by Star streak writer
Summary: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story. Raphael is poisoned with a rare Black Lotus plant toxin will he survive?
1. Chapter 1

TMNT Black Lotus plant

The turtle's nightly patrols usually ended early if nothing exciting happened but Raph could never go to sleep if patrols ended early. He would toss and turn in his hammock and his mind would run at a million miles an hour about anything and everything. Raph never regretted slipping out in the late-night hours pushing the midnight oil was sort of game that he always enjoyed. His late-night fights with the foot and the purple dragons made him feel useful. Tonight, he got lucky and crossed paths with Karai.

The foot and Karai fought Raph viciously for what seemed like hours when Karai finally got the opportunity she knocked Raph down. Some foot ninjas held him down and Karai stood over him with an evil look in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to kill the green freak that made her and her father's life a nightmare. Guilt suddenly stopped her thoughts and in anger, she drove her sword into his left shoulder. Before Raph knew what had happened he felt an intense breath-stealing, pain in his left shoulder. He initially screamed and then bit down to stop himself from screaming. Opening his eyes, he saw Karai with her hands still on the sword that was now deep in his shoulder. Lying on the cold rooftop he believed this was the end. Karai's attention was taken away from Raph when her intercom clicked on. Tapping her intercom she said, "yes father," a few seconds later she waved her hand and the foot disappeared.

Karai looked down at Raph and said, "next time I will finish you," Karai stepped over Raph and walked into the night. Raph remained still until he was sure he was alone. 'The sword, she left it in me' Raph thought to himself, he reached over and tried to pull the sword out, but the pain was too much. He closed his eyes and willed his body to move, eventually after a few agonizing minutes he got himself into a sitting position. The sun was beginning to peek over the tall New York buildings and the darkness was quickly turning into light.

"I have to get back to the lair," he told himself. Placing a hand over the wound containing a sword he got himself up and made his way to the nearest manhole cover. In the sewers, he stumbled with every step but managed to get himself to the entrance of the lair. By this time though his vision was swimming, sweat mercilessly beat down his brow and he was losing his balance. He entered the lair it was still dark 'No one's awake, good… I need to get to my room' he thought to himself but before he could take one more step his vision went black. He crashed into something before landing hard on the living room floor.

Leo, Mikey, and Master Splinter were asleep upstairs in their rooms and Donnie was asleep in the Lab. They all heard a loud crash come from the entrance of the lair. Leo was the first to open his door grabbing his Katana. Leo saw the lights in the living go on and he quickly ran down the stairs knowing that Donnie had to be in the lab. He was stopped in his tracks when he saw Donnie leaning over Raph.

Donnie had both his hands holding down a blood-covered rag on Raph's shoulder which had a sword sticking out of it. Leo dropped his own sword and ran over to them Donnie called Raph's name. Leo in a panic tone yelled, "Raph Wake up! Can you hear me?! Who did this to you?!" Raph opened his eyes and looked at Leo, he was barely able to say Karai's name before he almost passed out again." Master Splinter and Mikey were next at the scene and they both froze in place when they saw what was happening. Donnie looked at Leo and said, "Help me get him to the lab," Leo nodded and asked Mikey to help. Together they lifted Raph off the ground, Raph insisted he was fine, but they still carried him to the lab.

Inside the lab, Raph was helped to sit on the bed, Donnie removed the blood-soaked rag to examine the wound. "The sword went completely through and it looks like it may have broken your collar bone and shoulder blade." Master Splinter walked in with cloths and towels. Master Splinter immediately placed a new rag around the sword entry and exit wound. He nodded to Donnie allowing Donnie to do what he needed to help Raph. Leo moved by Raph's right side and looked intently at Raph who was still breathing heavy. Donnie from across the room asked Mikey to get a wooden spoon, a bowl of water and one of Raph's spare Sai's.

Raph's face was contorted he was trying to reframe from screaming. Raph appeared as though he was about to pass out at any moment. Leo placed one hand on Raph's back and the other on his right shoulder. Donnie walked around the lab quickly grabbing various items, heavy gauze, white cream, tape, and the smell of something burning filled the air. Mikey returned with what was asked of him. Donnie took Mikey to the side and told him to hold the Sai tip over the small flame.

'Too many people in the room' Raph thought to himself 'why is it so hot in here? I can't wait for Donnie to pull out this sword. The room is spinning, and my shoulder not only hurts it burns.' Donnie stood in front of Raph and said, "this is going to hurt since you already know the strongest pain medication, we have is Tylenol. I'm going to give you something to bite down on" It took Raph a minute to register what was just said to him and eventually he nodded his head.

Donnie grabbed the wooden spoon from Mikey. Leo remained silent beside Raph helplessly observing Raph's chest heaving for oxygen. Raph could feel his heart pounding and an occasional moan escaped his lips. He closed his eyes not wanting to see his family's worried looks.

Donnie spoke, "Ok Raph I need you to hold still, I already warned you this is going to be painful and what has to happen after isn't going to be much better." Raph nodded his head and accepted the spoon Donnie placed into his mouth. Raph bit down and Donnie said, "Get Ready Mikey, I'm going to need that Sai right away." Leo took this as a cue to hold Raph tighter. Master Splinter took away the towels covering the wounds and placed his hand on Raph's back.

Raph held onto the corner of the bed with his right hand. Donnie took hold of the swords handle with both hands and pulled the sword with all the strength he had. First came a loud scream through gritted teeth and Raph's upper body leaned forward due to the force. His eyes stretched wide then closed tight as he bit down hard on the spoon. Raph continued to scream through his gritted teeth as he felt the hot blade move through his shoulder. When the blade was pulled out the force of the release of the blade made Raph lose his grip of the bed. Raph's body pulled back a bit but was steadied by Leo and Splinter.

Leo gave a quick glance to Donnie waiting for what had to be done next. Raph's head was hanging low almost on his chest when Mikey handed Donnie the hot Sai. Without notice, Donnie quickly plunged the Sai into the front of the gushing wound. Raph's entire body trembled and his eyes went big again he continued to screamed threw now tear-soaked closed eyes. The screaming stopped for a second when the Sai was removed from the front and restarted when it was plunged into the backside of the wound. The heat of the burning Sai was ten times more painful than the sword's blade. Raph kept thinking to himself I need to stay awake.

The screaming suddenly stopped when the Sai was pulled out of the wound in his back. Raph's vision blacked out and the spoon toppled out of Raph's mouth.

To be continued…

Author's note: Maybe this story might not be believable but it's one I have been working on for a while. The wording kind of annoys me. I wish I was a better storyteller, but I try. Please feel free to leave comments, questions, concerns? Please follow me on Instagram and follow the story if you want more. Link on my profile page. Thank you.

Disclaimer: All TMNT, related characters and trademarks belong to Nickelodeon company. This story is solely fan-based and written non-for profit.


	2. Chapter 2

Announcer: In the last chapter Raph's blacked out and the spoon toppled out of his mouth…

The family watched as Raph's eyes rolled back and his body went limp. Master Splinter and Leo caught Raph before he fell over. Mikey ran over to where Splinter was standing and took his place. Mikey and Leo partially lifted and dragged Raph back to be fully laid on the bed. Raph's body was shaking more fiercely than before and he was heaving for oxygen. He heard someone talking, but he couldn't focus on the words. Semi-conscious sleep was calling him and Raph was quickly losing the battle to stay awake. Donnie asked Mikey to hand him the antiseptic cream Raph felt something cold being applied in thick glops on the front side of the wound. Afterward, a large piece of gauze was placed over it.

Raph groaned in pain when he felt several hands grab and begin to turn him on his side. Someone was holding his wrist and elbow up. Gentle hands held Raph steady while Donnie applied the cream on the backside of the wound then the entire shoulder was wrapped. Raph had completely passed out by the time Donnie was done. Donnie placed Raph's arm in a sling and Leo and Mikey gently turned Raph's body unto his back. Master Splinter placed a washcloth on Raph's forehead, "Why is he shaking?" asked Mikey. Donnie replied, "sometimes people's core body temperature drops due to trauma or a fever can spike."

Donnie began looking over his patient, taking temperature, listening to Raph's lungs, and heart. He spoke out loud, "Raph's blood pressure is still elevated but that is not unusual for someone who just suffered what he just went through." Master Splinter then asked, "Will he fully recover?" Donnie replied to their worried father, "If he doesn't already have an infection and makes it through the next 24 hours, he should be ok. Leo pulled up a chair next to Raph and said, "Raph is too stubborn to die, I know he will get through this."

.::TMNT::.

A little while later Raph began to stir, Leo placed his hand on Raph's forehead and stated, "Your head is warm." He called Donnie away from his computer, Donnie began to check his restless brother. Looking at the thermometer Donnie said, "his temperature is high, and his pulse is still racing we have to get his temperature down." Donnie ran over to a cabinet and grabbed a bottle" Raph was moving way too much for their liking, his head kept going side to side and he kept mumbled incoherent words. Leo's watched helplessly wishing he could do something for his brother.

Placing a new rag on Raph's forehead Leo told his injured brother, "It's going to be ok; you're going to be ok." Donnie returned and asked Leo to lift Raph's head, so he could give him some Tylenol. Together they managed to get Raph to take the pills. "I'm going to have to look at the wound to make sure everything is ok," Donnie said looking at his brothers and father. Donnie gently pulled down the bandages and inspected the wound. The wound seemed ok, so Donnie checked for other possible causes of the raging fever. He thought to himself, 'could sword have been tipped with poison?' Taking a vial out of a drawer he decided to test Raph's blood. His initial thought was right, his big brother was suffering not just from a near-fatal wound but from poison.

.::TMNT::.

The attacked happened in the late hours of the night. It was nearly noon when April and Casey entered the lair, no one was in the living room. April called out for the turtles, "Hey guys, are you here?" Mikey rubbing his eyes and yawning walked into the living room from the lab. "Hey Mikey," said, April and Casey in unison. "Where is everyone?" asked April, "in the lab," replied Mikey "Karai stabbed Raph with a poisoned sword. "What!" yelled April she forgot everything else and quickly darted off into the lab.

Her focus was on Raph who shaking and moaning, his entire left shoulder was wrapped in gauze. Leo placed a new rag on Raph's forehead when he noticed April, he got up to give her a hug. Donnie seeing April said, "Hey April," but quickly turned back to continue his work. April walked over and touched Raph's hand, "please fight Raph we need you." She said out loud not caring that everyone could hear her. Casey remained in the doorway he looked as if he was getting all choked up. His best friend was hurt, and he did not know how to help him. He was like Raph, both inside and out hot-headed but cared deeply for his family and friends. Casey's only thought was to get revenge for what was done to his best friend.

To be continued…

Authors note: The wording still annoys me in this story so if anyone is willing to rewrite it in better detail be my guest but please do send me the link so I can read it. 😊


	3. Chapter 3

.::TMNT: Black Lotus Plant::.

Raph's head continued to slowly move back and forth on the pillow. His eyebrows remained deeply furrowed and his breathing was grunt filled and erratic. Leo rung the cloth again and wiped Raph's forehead and face. Raph's shoulder was swollen twice the normal size and his left hand would twitch from the pain. Leo did his best to compose himself but seeing his brother in pain hurt him. Master Splinter had left a while ago but re-entered the lab with some herbal tea he asked Leo to help him lift Raph's head to get him to drink the tea.

Raphael's mind was lost between the conscious and unconscious world. He was fighting to wake up he heard his father speak soft Japanese words. He felt a hand slide under his head and lift it. Raph saw glimpses of his father holding a teacup to his lips. He was trying to get him to drink the tea. Raph drank a few sips but stopped when a sharp pain caused him to gasp then groan making him turn his head away in agony. The full-body aches and spasms from the poison made every movement painful.

The poison was winning and Raph wanted to give in. Raph's body was exhausted both from the trauma and the fighting to stay awake. Raph really wanted to sleep but between the pain and the constant administrations he kept partially waking up. Every noise around him was amplified due to the headache that felt like a severe migraine. The pain was accompanied by nausea and stomach pain and he wanted to vomit but swallowed hard at the bile when it would build up in his throat.

Raph saw Donnie next he was saying something, but he could not understand. Everything felt like it was a dream. He saw a long needle being pulled out of a pouch. Raph fully closed his eyes because he hated needles. The sting from the needle felt like a strong pinch luckily the pain stopped after a few seconds. Trying to open his eyes, through slits he watched as Donnie took 3 vials of blood from his right forearm. Mikey was in and out of the lab bring fresh water and cloths. Raph remembered seeing April briefly but Casey was not found. He really wanted to speak with Casey before he could give in to the exhaustion.

In the middle of the night Raph woke up, he opened his eyes to see the ceiling of Donnie's lab and then looking over at an empty chair. He placed his right-hand flat on the bed and brought his upper body forward with the aid of his right shoulder. The room spun so strongly it gave him the urge to vomit. He swallowed to prevent it; the spinning made it difficult to move from his position. It was like gravity was trying to push him over. Raph shook his head and held down his hand to steady himself. With his left arm held in place by a sling, his right hand was all he had to steady himself. Raph managed to get himself to sit up and he waited a moment until the room's spinning had slowed a little.

Moving his legs off the bed he planted both feet firmly on the ground and with what little strength he had he stood up. The slightest movement sent him off balance he fell against the chair by the bed. Unoccupied weirdly because someone was always supposed to be there. 'Where's Casey?' Raph thought to himself he ignored the fact that the room was empty and made his way slowly toward the doorway. He had to find Casey he wanted to tell him something important. Looking up Raph realized the lights were on outside the lab. 'ah, shell' Raph thought to himself as he grabbed at his injured shoulder. His head hurt, and he was covered in sweat, he felt a disgusting combination of thirst and nausea. His whole body ached as he felt his muscles continue to twitch causing agony with the spasms.

He had chills that went deep into his bones that would catch him randomly and at that moment it happened. Goosebumps overtook him in pulsating waves and then his stomach lurched, and he needed to vomit now. There was a trash can by Donnie's computer table, extremely ungracefully Raph made a run for it. Narrowly missing the bin knocking down everything in his path down and falling forward just enough to catch the bin with his good arm. His upper body arched forward as he vomited all the contents of his stomach into it.

In the living room, Donnie was explaining to Master Splinter, Leo, April and Casey that he had successfully traced the poison to a black lotus plant. To which there are no known cures, the good news is that the poison is a toxin and Raph does not need an antidote. The symptoms related to the poison can be deadly if the individual's body is not strong enough to process the toxin. Unfortunately, for Raph, he is going to have to suffer until the poison naturally leaves his body. This could take anywhere from a few days up to two weeks depending on how quickly his body can process the poison. Symptoms of this poisoning are sensitivity to light, twitching, muscle aches, dizziness, fever, vomiting, mental confusion, headaches, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain. In a worst-case scenario, it could lead to seizures, cardiac arrest, and *crash* came a noise from the lab.

Everyone looked at each other before saying Raph! and ran for the lab. Inside the lab Raph was on the floor hunched over the small trash bin vomiting. Donnie stepped over the mess bending down next to his brother and began rubbing Raph's shell saying, "it's ok just let it out." Leo looked around for Mikey who had just arrived at the doorway with a fresh bowl of water. "Dudes what happened?" asked Mikey, Leo replied, "you could have called one of us to get the water,"

The conversation was cut short when a loud groan came from Raph who was about to pass out. Raph was hugging the trash bin for dear life. The spinning of the room was too much for him. Donnie grabbed hold of Raph's good arm and Leo also helped get Raph back into bed. Raph was panting and his body was extremely warm miraculously Raph didn't complain about the help they were giving him. The brothers knew Raph must really feel sick if he's not complaining about getting help. He was successfully put back into bed and covered with a light blanket. Raph immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Donnie took this opportunity to check Raph over again. Placing the thermometer in under Raph's tongue and closing Raph's mouth. A beep came from the temperature Donnie gently pulled it out of Raph's mouth and look at it. It read 102.9 not to Donnie's liking if it went any higher it could be dangerous. Donnie looked at Leo and said, "It's still at 102 we have to keep a close eye on him to make sure it doesn't go up."

It was very early the next morning Donnie had dozed off in front of the computer. Leo was wringing out a new cloth Raph symptoms had gotten worse. His head would jerk up then turn side to side and he shook more fiercely. Raph moaned with every movement, it was clear to Leo Raph must have been in a lot of pain. Leo placed the new cloth on Raph's forehead after what felt like hours Leo noticed Raph had stopped moving. Something was off about Raph's skin color he was paler than before and his breathing was shallow.

"Raph?" Leo said, touching his brother chest now 100% sure that Raph's breathing was extremely shallow. "Donnie!" Leo yelled loud enough to wake the neighbors if they had any. April, Casey, and Mikey had fallen asleep on the couch and Leo's screaming woke them. Donnie had already rushed to Raph's side and was listening to Raph's heart, it was beating way too fast. April was at the doorway asking, "If Raph was ok?" Donnie looked at Leo and asked for the thermometer.

Placing the thermometer in Raph's mouth Donnie waited impatiently. It was the longest minute of their lives. Donnie pulled out the thermometer and it read 105. Donnie quickly placed the thermometer down and looked at "April" and said, "Please go turn on the bathtub Raph is way too hot we have to cool him down. Mikey can you and Casey get all the ice you can find and put it in the tub." Donnie ripped the sheet off Raph's body and asked Leo to help carry Raph to the bathroom.

Leo and Donnie carried their unconscious brother into the bathroom. He skin was super-hot, and his body was covered in sweat, it was getting increasingly difficult to hold him. April was at the facet willing the tub to fill up faster while Casey and Mikey dumped all the ice they could find into the tub. When the tub was halfway full Leo and Donnie carefully put the unconscious Raph into the tub. Donnie held Raph's head up while Leo and Casey finished placing Raph's limps into the tub. Leo began cupping water with his hands over Raph's chest. April with an actual cup began doing the same.

Donnie looked at Mikey and asked him to go get a washcloth, Mikey ran out of the bathroom to get what was asked of him. April turned the water off glancing at Master Splinter who was watching from the doorway. Raph's body suddenly stiffened, his back and head arched and then he began convulsing. "Hold him down!" yelled Donnie with panic in his voice. Donnie held Raph's head as still as possible, Leo, April, and Casey all put their arms into the icy water to hold down Raph's limbs. The water was just over their elbows and it was cold, but their concern was to hold Raph still. Raph's body convulsed for a few minutes. Donnie said out loud, "Come on Raph stop shaking," He looked even more panicked than before, he knew the longer the seizure the higher the chance of brain damage. The shaking finally stopped Donnie looked at Leo and said, "Leo can you get the thermometer, my stethoscope, and the mini flashlight. Leo nodded his head pulling his arms out of the tub and grabbing a towel on the way out.

Mikey was holding onto Master Splinter the washcloth never made it to the bathroom. It fell on the floor when Mikey saw Raph convulsing. Leo returned quickly with what Donnie needed April traded places with Donnie and was now holding Raph's head up. Donnie opened Raph's mouth and put the thermometer in it and while he waited, he listened to Raph's heart. Donnie opened Raph's eye's one after the other, pupils were equal and reactive. The room was silent in anticipation Donnie pulled the beeping thermometer out. "Raph's temperature has gone down to 103 let's try to get his temperature down a bit more before we take him out." April grabbed a nearby hand towel and dipped it into the icy tub water. She squeezed the towel pouring water over Raph's shoulders. Wetting the small towel again she placed the cloth on Raph's forehead. After a few more minutes Raph's temperature lowered to 101. Casey reached into the tub and removed the stopper while the three brothers together lifted Raph and got him back to the lab.


End file.
